Bronx park plagued with stray needles in plain sight

Needles are becoming a prevalent issue for kids in a Mott Haven park, and some adults are stepping in to fix it.

The nonprofit Guardian Angels descended on St. Mary's Park to clean things up. The group scours parks all the time to make conditions safer, but they say St. Mary's stands out.

Within minutes, a volunteer found a hypodermic needle in plain sight near a walking path.

The Parks Department says it has added kiosks for needle disposal, but lifelong residents like Willie Estrada say that is not enough. Estrada says those kiosks are sometimes removed from where they were installed. He is worried the kiosks encourage drug users to shoot up in the park.

Police say they are patrolling parks like St. Mary's and are working with local agencies to curb the problem.